It may be weird but it’s definitely not wired. That would defeat the purpose of Teslaphoresis, the Rice University-born technique to move and assemble carbon nanotubes wirelessly with a Tesla coil force field.

Still, Teslaphoresis qualified as one of the “best new words” of the year named in a Wired story late last month. The word was chosen by Jonathon Keats, who writes the magazine’s monthly “Jargon Watch” column, and slotted between “stomach tap” and “Textalyzer” in the alphabetical list.

Teslaphoresis, discovered and developed by Rice chemist Paul Cherukuri, uses the wireless energy field from a Tesla coil to self-assemble individual nanotubes into ultra-long wires and circuits. The invention could have electronic and even medical applications, according to the scientists.

“The first time I saw the phenomenon, I knew we had to name it,” he said. “But then, Rice has a rich history of naming cool and interesting nanoscale discoveries, like the buckyball, and I wanted to keep that tradition alive. Now I feel like we’ve succeeded.”